empowerment Part 3 - crossmember Replacement - Photo 02

Our 2004 Toyota 4Runner has a really wimpy crossmember running under the radiator and AC condenser. We’re going to replace the thin, stamped mild steel with 1-1/2-inch-by-0.120-inch-wall 4130 chromoly tubing. The AC condenser was left in place, but removing the radiator opened up some critical working room. Putting the front of the ‘Runner on jack stands and pulling the front wheels created even more working room. An orange Home Depot multipurpose bucket stored the not-so-old coolant for post-fabrication reuse. Yeah, a little got spilled.